Good Times at Le Tour

Filed in archive Travel News on July 18, 2007

The Tour de France is the world's premiere cycling race. While the past few years have brought controversy due to several riders' use of performance enhancing drugs, the tour itself remains quite a spectacle. It is the most important event in many of France's small towns. While a majority of Tour de France tourists are cycling fans, the generally fun atmosphere surrounding the event means it is a good time for anyone to visit.

July 29th, the race finishes at the Champs-Élysées in Paris. The real magic, at least from a traveler's standpoint, happens in the earlier stages of the race, when entire small towns turn out to sing, dance, and, of course, drink wine, stopping only momentarily to cheer the cyclists as they blur past.